Gladys, the Reaper

at alone with his mother in their little parlou

do know well enough that your poor father was having a chest full, only h

r kept his gold. If I don't pay a man in London by tomorrow

king to your business. I 'ouldn't wonder if you was to be a councillor some day. Only to think of me, mother of Councillor Jenkins! You may be looking higher than Netta, and be marrying a real lady, and be riding in your coach and four, and be dining with my Lord Singl

will marry Netta, now, in spite of the whole tribe of Davids and Jonathans, and they shall see

I should be afraid. Be you sure his spirit'll be

d bureau anyhow. Money I must have, at once, and Rowland i

u had better don't. Suppose it

that. Give

nch of keys to her son

ones, the Red Cow, and Lewis, draper, are letting us have as much credit as we like; and

reau and tried the various keys of the large bunch that he now grasped for the first time in his life. At last one key entered the lock and turned in it. Hush! there is a sound in the room. He turns very pale as he glances round. He sees

s of the closed and secret compartments. As he touches one of these a tremor seizes him, and he fancies that a hand is on his shoulder. He s

upstairs, looking

I cannot examine it in this room, you have

fraid,

rectly, or I must

resting-place. They finally succeeded, however, in dragging it towards the door, in doing which they had to pass the foot of the bed. Unconsciously they pushed the bed with the corner of the bureau and shook it. They nearly sank to the ground with terror

ld think we were breaking into another man's house

its contents. Disappointment awaited them; they could find nothing but papers. Deeds, mortgages, bills, letters, accounts, were arranged in every open and shut division. The dr

ureau so heavy,' said Howel, biting his

hrew them on his bed. He tried to move the

pboard don't go through to the back

cupboard; the mahogany did not give way, but

t it must be a double bureau. It is lo

down from the shelf, and set to work to try to pierce the back of the bureau

rgot the bed in the next room, and everything else in the world except the attainment of his object, and running downstairs, returned with a large sledge-hammer that he found in the coal-hole. With his strength concentrated in one blow, he swung it against the back of the bureau, and had the satisfaction of finding his wishes gratified. The concussion moved som

ureau had alarmed a neighbour, and before one piece of the tempt

inquisitive fools!' exclaimed Ho

box, pushed as many as he could hastily gather up into it also.

o her golden harvest, 'she was up nursing next door, and

go to London and clear off my debts with so

in the bank, Howel, bach? It

and I promise you, that when I am clear again I will come back and make a

a note, and I will

.' Mrs Jenkins proceeded to obey her son, whilst he u

ore I leave. Meet me at the old place in the wood by

ing it, and gave it to his moth

er it, or rather send it b

the money. Here's a hundred pound in my a

in your apron, mother, and let me h

u be doing with

Jenkins, or of a famous man of some sort or othe

councillor, than anything-li

a judge with all this money

ch, and shuddering slightly, he kicked a heap of sovereigns that lay n

se it would be impossible to sleep with that yellow usury on the floor. I should have Plutus at the head of the imps of

k so fulli

u taught me al

r did see the Pope, and 'ould sooner

mind, let u

Lie you down here. God bless you, m

the son, bending down carelessly to be embraced b

y down on the bed without undressing, and tried to sleep. In vain, no sleep would come to 'steep his senses in forgetfulness.' The bed in the next room, with its grim, gaunt inmate, was constantly before his eyes. If he d

our Welsh aristocrats by showing them how the son of Griffey Jenkins can eclipse their genealogies, by the magic power of the Golden God. I will stay over the funeral, then off to town and get rid of my pressing debts; then pay Levi and Moses, and all my debts of honour; then

He swore an oath that emanated from his fear, and thought that the lower regions had actually opened to receive the gold he was meditating upon, since fire a

the funeral,' he cried, as his m

urn to the room, followed by his mother. There was

d burst beneath his foot-tread. There were several others scattered about, that had been unnoticed, because they looked simply like bits of paper. These had evidently been

, alternately dozing in their chairs, and talking, and occasionally supporting themselves by draughts of the different liquors that were spread upon the table near them. In spite of his best ef